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PORTAL NORTH BRIDGE PROJECT

A passenger train crosses the Portal Bridge

Built in 1910, the existi ng Portal Bridge is a two-track moveable swing-span bridge between the towns of Kearny and Secaucus in Hudson County, . A criti cal link for New Jersey commuters and intercity rail customers to , the century-old bridge is in need of replacement.

Project Need

The century-old Portal Bridge is a two-track over the in New Jersey that rotates open for mariti me traffi c several ti mes per month. 450 trains cross the bridge as they travel be- tween Newark, N.J., and Penn Stati on New York every day. The bridge is a major bott leneck and source of delay for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains – the aging mechanical & electrical components someti mes malfuncti on while opening and closing, causing a cascade of delays.

Infrastructure Background

Portal Bridge was constructed by the in 1907 and began revenue operati ons in November 1910. The bridge earned the name “Portal,” because it leads the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rail line to the “portal” of the North River Tunnel, located just three miles away. It consists of seven spans and totals 960 feet in length. The mid- dle span is 300 feet long and pivots to open for marine traffi c. The The aging Portal Bridge requires regular swing span and special “miter rail” confi gurati on pose maintenance repairs to address malfuncti ons caused by and operati onal challenges. Due to age and fragility, trains are restrict- ed to a maximum of 60 miles per hour over the bridge. Only 23 feet of outdated mechanical and electrical systems, clearance separate the Hackensack River and the bott om of the bridge. oft en resulti ng in a cascade of delays. PORTAL NORTH BRIDGE PROJECT 1910 450 60mph Over a century old, the bridge is Passenger trains cross Reduced speed limit required a major bott leneck for New Jersey the bridge every day to cross the bridge and New York travelers

Project Benefi ts Project Status

• Higher clearance for mariti me traffi c The Portal North Bridge project is shovel ready. It has been fully designed and has all eliminates opening and closing its necessary permits. The State of New Jersey has committ ed $600 million toward • Expansion of horizontal clearance across constructi on of a new span and has a fi nancial plan pending with the Federal Tran- the river channel to 300 feet sit Administrati on (FTA) for additi onal funding. With a Full Funding Grant Agreement • More reliable fi xed-span reduces from FTA, the project can proceed to major constructi on. maintenance cost It will take approximately fi ve years to build the new, higher-span, fi xed bridge that • Increased track speeds and NJ TRANSIT will eliminate the need for Portal Bridge to open and close. Early constructi on work capacity began in Summer 2017 and was completed on ti me and on budget in February 2019. Funded by a $16 million TIGER grant and local match the work included the realign- The Portal North Bridge Project will replace this outdat- ment of a 138kV transmission pole, the installati on of new fi ber opti c cable poles, the ed and increasingly unreliable structure with a modern, constructi on of a fi nger pier, constructi on of a steel bridge structure over the Jersey more reliable fi xed-span bridge that is much higher over City Municipal Uti lity Authority water main, and a retaining wall just west of the Frank the water, allowing boats to pass underneath without R. Lautenberg Stati on at Secaucus Juncti on. the need to open and close. A new bridge will also per- mit higher track speeds and increased capacity and save millions of dollars in maintenance costs.

The Portal North Bridge Project is a key component of THE GATEWAY PROGRAM SUMMARY MAP Phase I of the Gateway Program, a comprehensive set of strategic rail infrastructure improvements designed to improve current services and create new capacity that Operating Rail Yard will allow the doubling of passenger trains running un- PORTAL New Hudson der the Hudson River. NORTH Secaucus Tunnel BRIDGE Junction Expansion of New York Penn Station Replacement of Sawtooth Bridge Seacucus Moynihan Station Loop Tracks Expansion to & NY Penn Station Four Tracks Newark MANHATTAN Penn Station NEW JERSEY

The Portal North Bridge Project is a key component of The Gateway Program, a comprehensive set of strategic rail infrastructure improvements designed to improve current services and create new capacity that will allow the doubling of passenger trains running under the Hudson River. The program will increase track, tunnel, bridge and stati on capacity, eventually creati ng four mainline tracks Rendering of future Portal North Bridge. between Newark, N.J., and New York Penn Stati on, including a new, two-track Hudson River Tunnel.

NEC FUTURE Investment Plan: 2040 and Beyond

NEC FUTURE is the FRA’s investment plan to improve the reliability, capacity, connecti vity, performance and resiliency of passenger rail service throughout the NEC. By replacing a century-old swing bridge with a modern fi xed span, the Portal North Bridge Project is instrumental to realizing these goals and is identi fi ed in NEC FUTURE as fundamental to implementi ng the plan’s full potenti al.